Drew777 wrote:It's a separate signup bonus offer. The standard public offer on the BOA site does not include the statement credit.

If you browse your Alaska profile or flights you will usually see the offer(s) populate in a corner of the screen.

The one I cashed on two months ago for the BofA Visa was the 30k points + $99 companion fare pass, which I just used to book Maui flight and wife was $99 instead of almost $700. Far more valuable than $100 statement credit. Was only $1000 in spend over 3 months, and provides free checked bags for you and like 3 or 4 guests. (useful for me because I take Alaska to ski resorts, so the bulky ski bag is free)

Drew777 wrote:It's a separate signup bonus offer. The standard public offer on the BOA site does not include the statement credit.

If you browse your Alaska profile or flights you will usually see the offer(s) populate in a corner of the screen.

The one I cashed on two months ago for the BofA Visa was the 30k points + $99 companion fare pass, which I just used to book Maui flight and wife was $99 instead of almost $700. Far more valuable than $100 statement credit. Was only $1000 in spend over 3 months, and provides free checked bags for you and like 3 or 4 guests. (useful for me because I take Alaska to ski resorts, so the bulky ski bag is free)

The $99 companion pass is standard with all Alaska cards. It is still available with the $100 statement credit offer as well.

Drew777 wrote:
Also, keep in mind you can still apply for business cards from most banks without affecting your 5/24 status. Capital One is the only major bank that reports business cards on your personal credit report.

I recently got the Chase Ink Business Preferred; 80,000 UR with $5000 spend was too good to pass up.

Drew777 wrote:
Also, keep in mind you can still apply for business cards from most banks without affecting your 5/24 status. Capital One is the only major bank that reports business cards on your personal credit report.

I recently got the Chase Ink Business Preferred; 80,000 UR with $5000 spend was too good to pass up.

I assume that business card will count against my 5/24 status, right?

From reading blogs, my understanding is that to get a Chase business card you need to satisfy the 24/5 constraints, but the business card itself does not count towards 5. Thus my 2018 plan is to get an Ink card before a CSR. I hope Drew verifies this.

Victoria

WINNER of the 2015 Boglehead Contest. |
Every joke has a bit of a joke. ... The rest is the truth. (Marat F)

Drew777 wrote:
You could always accumulate Air Canada miles to fly United - they're much easier to earn given Chase's 5/24 rule. You can transfer points from both Amex MR and SPG. That gives you a lot of options - there are tons of MR cards, two SPG cards, the Marriott business card, etc. With Amex EDP you can earn 1.5x on everything plus the bonus categories.

I joined Air Canada's Aeroplan a few days ago, and so far my experience was horrible. I was trying to order tickets online, and the system was refusing to process my payment. After several attempts with deleted cookies, private browsing and different browsers, I called Air Canada. After waiting on hold for 43 minutes, I purchased the tickets over the telephone. The CSR had my Aeroplan information during the booking. I received the itineraries via email for two 1-way flights.

Today, I checked my Air Canada account and saw these reservations do not show in my profile. I decided to send an email inquiry to AC asking to add the reservations to my account. That was another painful process: I was required to fill out a VERY long form with all my information including address, flight numbers and dates--where just the confirmation numbers should have sufficed.

Canadians are lovely people. Some of them are my good friends. But I have no friendly feelings towards Air Canada.

Victoria

WINNER of the 2015 Boglehead Contest. |
Every joke has a bit of a joke. ... The rest is the truth. (Marat F)

DiMAn0684 wrote:IMO CSR > CSP as a product (disregarding the bonus). Assuming you value $300 credit at $300, your annual fee with CSR is $150 over $95 for CSP. For extra $55/yr you get Priority Pass, Global Entry fee reimbursement every 4-5 yrs, 3x on travel and restaurants and some other benefits. Well worth it.

In the past two years, I was spending about $13k/year on travel. These were out of packet expenses in addition to any miles and points I used. Some of these expenses were not coded as travel, e.g., fees for events or traveling in a group. On the other hand, restaurant meals are travel expenses regardless of the location. Let's assume that I can charge $10k in travel expenses to either CSP or CSR. The annual difference between 2x and 3x is 100 UR points, or about $180/year based on my point values. The difference in the annual fee reduces CSR's advantage to $125/year. Global Entry is $100, or $20/year, which brings up the CSR advantage to $145/year. I get priority passes from Chase MPE and have not had a chance to use them yet. Thus, for me:
CSR - CSP =~ $145/year.

If I wait a year and get a 50k CSR bonus, it will be equivalent to ~$900. Thus, I am now inclined to tighten the belt and wait for the CSR eligibility.

Victoria

I missed out on the 100000 CSR online bonus because of the 24/5 rule and had pretty much decided to go with the cheaper CSP in March when my oldest card drops off the 24/5 list. Having read the recent posts on the topic, I'm now reconsidering. I need to do an analysis like Victoria did. Am I correct in assuming that tours and packages such as Road Scholar are in the travel category? How about time share fees?

I think I'll be able to apply before the availability in branches ends. There are no branches in my state. I need to decide if it is worth driving to another state just to snag the larger bonus if I go with the CSR. I could visit a friend, but I probably wouldn't go without the extra point incentive! Am I correct it's potentially worth $750? I know, I know subtract the cost of my time and travel expense and try not to get swept up in the thrill of the chase for points!

We charge most of our expenses on our green Amex and use the points for air travel using the Amex Travel Service which lets us buy unrestricted revenue tickets and get an Amex statement credit for as much as we choose to cash in. We put from $3000 to $6000 per month on this card.

If we don't have enough Amex points, we usually can use up American or United mileage for tickets. Most clubs offer to sell me mileage points for a greatly reduced rate over regular prices once or twice per year during a sale, so we can buy up to a ticket value if we are short. We have an American Visa and a United Visa because occasional use keeps our mileage from expiring by showing activity on our frequent flier accounts. We use these cards rarely.

We use our Schwab debit card for ATMs overseas because there is no FTF and all ATM fees are reimbursed. It's cheaper to pull local currency from an ATM whenever needed than pay commissions for poor exchange rates at banks or airport currency exchange kiosks.

We use a PenFed Visa for gas only. It is no longer the best rebate on gas so we will be looking for a better gas card. I believe the special offer we signed up for was 5% and now is less. I had been told that PenFed membership might one day help with USAA membership and I'd like to join USAA for their insurance, so I have stayed with PenFed. I believe that was false info and USAA does not intend to loosen their veteran requirement. Both my wife's and my own father were WWII officers but the catch was that they did not rollover their issued USAA policies after discharge, so their descendants do not qualify for USAA membership.

Drew777 wrote:
Also, keep in mind you can still apply for business cards from most banks without affecting your 5/24 status. Capital One is the only major bank that reports business cards on your personal credit report.

I recently got the Chase Ink Business Preferred; 80,000 UR with $5000 spend was too good to pass up.

I assume that business card will count against my 5/24 status, right?

From reading blogs, my understanding is that to get a Chase business card you need to satisfy the 24/5 constraints, but the business card itself does not count towards 5. Thus my 2018 plan is to get an Ink card before a CSR. I hope Drew verifies this.

Victoria

Thank you, Victoria. I guess the attached ("This card is known to be subject to Chase's 5/24 rule") doesn't definitively address the matter, it seems to me. I suppose it's a question of whether the "subject to" applies to someone's Ink card application (desirable, from our standpoint) or whether it means that once one is in possession of the card, the card then contributes to the 5/24 rule. Maybe the former interpretation makes sense, but I find it all quite confusing and ambiguous. Kinda makes my head hurt

praxis wrote:We have an American Visa and a United Visa because occasional use keeps our mileage from expiring by showing activity on our frequent flier accounts. We use these cards rarely.

You could join AAdvantage Dining and United Dining rewards programs as a means to generate activity to keep your mileage points active, assuming that you live in or visit an area that has participating restaurants. If that's the sole purpose of keeping your two airlines cards, and you don't benefit from free checked bags, pre-boarding, etc., that should render those cards obsolete and you could cancel them, I would think.

praxis wrote:We have an American Visa and a United Visa because occasional use keeps our mileage from expiring by showing activity on our frequent flier accounts. We use these cards rarely.

You could join AAdvantage Dining and United Dining rewards programs as a means to generate activity to keep your mileage points active, assuming that you live in or visit an area that has participating restaurants. If that's the sole purpose of keeping your two airlines cards, and you don't benefit from free checked bags, pre-boarding, etc., that should render those cards obsolete and you could cancel them, I would think.

rjbraun wrote:
Thank you, Victoria. I guess the attached ("This card is known to be subject to Chase's 5/24 rule") doesn't definitively address the matter, it seems to me. I suppose it's a question of whether the "subject to" applies to someone's Ink card application (desirable, from our standpoint) or whether it means that once one is in possession of the card, the card then contributes to the 5/24 rule. Maybe the former interpretation makes sense, but I find it all quite confusing and ambiguous. Kinda makes my head hurt

I agree that much in the points and miles activities is ambiguous or uncertain. Ambiguous in the sense that it's not clearly stated, uncertain in the sense that even clearly stated rules may work for some people but not for others. One consequence of these ambiguities and uncertainties is that many people don't even try to accumulate points and miles, which leaves the field available to those who are willing to make an extra effort and take risks.

As you already have the Bold card you don't have much to lose from applying for a CSR. First, check blogs for any Chase rules related to consecutive applications. Then decide if a 50k bonus is worth it, or you want to take risk waiting for 100k. And if you apply for a CSR and are denied, it's not a big deal. I was denied CSR but shortly after that was approved for a Citi card. I also became eligible for a free credit report from Equifax. And most importantly, I gained experience of pushing the envelop and getting denied.

Good luck,

Victoria

WINNER of the 2015 Boglehead Contest. |
Every joke has a bit of a joke. ... The rest is the truth. (Marat F)

praxis wrote:We have an American Visa and a United Visa because occasional use keeps our mileage from expiring by showing activity on our frequent flier accounts. We use these cards rarely.

You could join AAdvantage Dining and United Dining rewards programs as a means to generate activity to keep your mileage points active, assuming that you live in or visit an area that has participating restaurants. If that's the sole purpose of keeping your two airlines cards, and you don't benefit from free checked bags, pre-boarding, etc., that should render those cards obsolete and you could cancel them, I would think.

Thanks rjbraun.
That would be better, and cheaper, but there are no participating restaurants yet in our town for either program.
Appreciate the help.

Not sure, but there might be other ways to generate activity in your accounts. Others may have better ideas, but one could be to buy a cheap magazine or some inexpensive item offered in the AA or United shopping portal (I assume such a portal exists but haven't used it myself). I have bought magazine subscriptions in the past but now find the dining approach much better value.

rjbraun wrote:
Thank you, Victoria. I guess the attached ("This card is known to be subject to Chase's 5/24 rule") doesn't definitively address the matter, it seems to me. I suppose it's a question of whether the "subject to" applies to someone's Ink card application (desirable, from our standpoint) or whether it means that once one is in possession of the card, the card then contributes to the 5/24 rule. Maybe the former interpretation makes sense, but I find it all quite confusing and ambiguous. Kinda makes my head hurt

I agree that much in the points and miles activities is ambiguous or uncertain. Ambiguous in the sense that it's not clearly stated, uncertain in the sense that even clearly stated rules may work for some people but not for others. One consequence of these ambiguities and uncertainties is that many people don't even try to accumulate points and miles, which leaves the field available to those who are willing to make an extra effort and take risks.

As you already have the Bold card you don't have much to lose from applying for a CSR. First, check blogs for any Chase rules related to consecutive applications. Then decide if a 50k bonus is worth it, or you want to take risk waiting for 100k. And if you apply for a CSR and are denied, it's not a big deal. I was denied CSR but shortly after that was approved for a Citi card. I also became eligible for a free credit report from Equifax. And most importantly, I gained experience of pushing the envelop and getting denied.

Good luck,

Victoria

Victoria,

I already have CSR and was more thinking of getting non-Chase cards (exact ones, tbd). My concern was that those new cards could push me over the 5/24 rule. I guess I'm just trying to keep some powder dry, in case Chase comes out with some enticing offer. I really have been trying to minimize *playing* the credit card game (I guess that puts me in the camp of people who don't bother to accumulate points / miles -- in my case, a combination of weighing time expended vs. benefits and, admittedly, probably an unnecessary concern about mucking up my credit profile, etc.), but some of the large sign-up bonuses keep grabbing my attention. That, and some large upcoming expenses that would make it very easy to meet the minimum spend.

Drew777 wrote:
Also, keep in mind you can still apply for business cards from most banks without affecting your 5/24 status. Capital One is the only major bank that reports business cards on your personal credit report.

I recently got the Chase Ink Business Preferred; 80,000 UR with $5000 spend was too good to pass up.

I assume that business card will count against my 5/24 status, right?

From reading blogs, my understanding is that to get a Chase business card you need to satisfy the 24/5 constraints, but the business card itself does not count towards 5. Thus my 2018 plan is to get an Ink card before a CSR. I hope Drew verifies this.

rjbraun wrote:You could join AAdvantage Dining and United Dining rewards programs as a means to generate activity to keep your mileage points active, assuming that you live in or visit an area that has participating restaurants. If that's the sole purpose of keeping your two airlines cards, and you don't benefit from free checked bags, pre-boarding, etc., that should render those cards obsolete and you could cancel them, I would think.

We have many of the same local restaurants listed on both programs. If you have credit cards registered at both, what happens to the points? Do you "double dip" and receive points for both programs? I need some AA activity to keep some AA miles alive but they will be at places I'm already set up for through mileageplus dining.

rjbraun wrote:You could join AAdvantage Dining and United Dining rewards programs as a means to generate activity to keep your mileage points active, assuming that you live in or visit an area that has participating restaurants. If that's the sole purpose of keeping your two airlines cards, and you don't benefit from free checked bags, pre-boarding, etc., that should render those cards obsolete and you could cancel them, I would think.

We have many of the same local restaurants listed on both programs. If you have credit cards registered at both, what happens to the points? Do you "double dip" and receive points for both programs? I need some AA activity to keep some AA miles alive but they will be at places I'm already set up for through mileageplus dining.

I definitely don't think you can double-dip. I no longer recall the details, but I'm pretty sure a given credit card can only be registered with one program. Not sure if the later registration will take priority or what. Perhaps another BH can provide details, but my recollection is when I was in a similar situation I wasn't able to participate twice.

rjbraun wrote:
I definitely don't think you can double-dip. I no longer recall the details, but I'm pretty sure a given credit card can only be registered with one program. Not sure if the later registration will take priority or what. Perhaps another BH can provide details, but my recollection is when I was in a similar situation I wasn't able to participate twice.

I confirm. As soon as you register a credit card with a new program it is removed from the previous program. At least that's true for United and American Airlines restaurant rewards.

Victoria

WINNER of the 2015 Boglehead Contest. |
Every joke has a bit of a joke. ... The rest is the truth. (Marat F)

praxis wrote:We have an American Visa and a United Visa because occasional use keeps our mileage from expiring by showing activity on our frequent flier accounts. We use these cards rarely.

You could join AAdvantage Dining and United Dining rewards programs as a means to generate activity to keep your mileage points active, assuming that you live in or visit an area that has participating restaurants. If that's the sole purpose of keeping your two airlines cards, and you don't benefit from free checked bags, pre-boarding, etc., that should render those cards obsolete and you could cancel them, I would think.

Thanks rjbraun.
That would be better, and cheaper, but there are no participating restaurants yet in our town for either program.
Appreciate the help.

Not sure, but there might be other ways to generate activity in your accounts. Others may have better ideas, but one could be to buy a cheap magazine or some inexpensive item offered in the AA or United shopping portal (I assume such a portal exists but haven't used it myself). I have bought magazine subscriptions in the past but now find the dining approach much better value.

Back when I didn't fly every 18 months or so, I used two methods to keep my miles active:

Use the airline's shopping portal to buy something at Target, for instance. Under $1 for a can of fruit or something, and I could pick it up that weekend when I did my normal shopping

Take surveys using e-Rewards. More time consuming, and not for everyone, but I earn anywhere between 10k and 15k miles annually this way with little effort

rjbraun wrote:You could join AAdvantage Dining and United Dining rewards programs as a means to generate activity to keep your mileage points active, assuming that you live in or visit an area that has participating restaurants. If that's the sole purpose of keeping your two airlines cards, and you don't benefit from free checked bags, pre-boarding, etc., that should render those cards obsolete and you could cancel them, I would think.

We have many of the same local restaurants listed on both programs. If you have credit cards registered at both, what happens to the points? Do you "double dip" and receive points for both programs? I need some AA activity to keep some AA miles alive but they will be at places I'm already set up for through mileageplus dining.

I've assumed that whichever charge card is used is the one that would determine "which program".
For example, if you pay cash, the restaurant software won't know what program you are in, or even who you are (unless you are personally known, of course).
If you use a charge card, then that's how you are ID'd, and that's the program that would be used.

rjbraun wrote:You could join AAdvantage Dining and United Dining rewards programs as a means to generate activity to keep your mileage points active, assuming that you live in or visit an area that has participating restaurants. If that's the sole purpose of keeping your two airlines cards, and you don't benefit from free checked bags, pre-boarding, etc., that should render those cards obsolete and you could cancel them, I would think.

We have many of the same local restaurants listed on both programs. If you have credit cards registered at both, what happens to the points? Do you "double dip" and receive points for both programs? I need some AA activity to keep some AA miles alive but they will be at places I'm already set up for through mileageplus dining.

I've assumed that whichever charge card is used is the one that would determine "which program".
For example, if you pay cash, the restaurant software won't know what program you are in, or even who you are (unless you are personally known, of course).
If you use a charge card, then that's how you are ID'd, and that's the program that would be used.

RM

It's tied directly to the credit card registered to the program, which can only be tied to one program at a time. All of these dining programs are run on the same network.

praxis wrote:We have an American Visa and a United Visa because occasional use keeps our mileage from expiring by showing activity on our frequent flier accounts. We use these cards rarely.

You could join AAdvantage Dining and United Dining rewards programs as a means to generate activity to keep your mileage points active, assuming that you live in or visit an area that has participating restaurants. If that's the sole purpose of keeping your two airlines cards, and you don't benefit from free checked bags, pre-boarding, etc., that should render those cards obsolete and you could cancel them, I would think.

Thanks rjbraun.
That would be better, and cheaper, but there are no participating restaurants yet in our town for either program.
Appreciate the help.

Not sure, but there might be other ways to generate activity in your accounts. Others may have better ideas, but one could be to buy a cheap magazine or some inexpensive item offered in the AA or United shopping portal (I assume such a portal exists but haven't used it myself). I have bought magazine subscriptions in the past but now find the dining approach much better value.

Back when I didn't fly every 18 months or so, I used two methods to keep my miles active:

Use the airline's shopping portal to buy something at Target, for instance. Under $1 for a can of fruit or something, and I could pick it up that weekend when I did my normal shopping

Take surveys using e-Rewards. More time consuming, and not for everyone, but I earn anywhere between 10k and 15k miles annually this way with little effort

Yeah, I tried the survey route at one point but didn't proceed. I was somewhat shocked to see what kind of personal information is "out there". I had had some minor health issue and the first question pertained to that. It was certainly a good wake-up call!

Wow, 10k or more miles annually. Sounds like a lot of surveys to complete.

rjbraun wrote:Wow, 10k or more miles annually. Sounds like a lot of surveys to complete.

I stopped taking the longer surveys a while back, and can get through the "20 minute" surveys in less than 10 minutes, in most cases. It's definitely not for everyone, but if I've got some time to spare, it's essentially free miles to me.

rjbraun wrote:Wow, 10k or more miles annually. Sounds like a lot of surveys to complete.

I stopped taking the longer surveys a while back, and can get through the "20 minute" surveys in less than 10 minutes, in most cases. It's definitely not for everyone, but if I've got some time to spare, it's essentially free miles to me.

How diligent were you about trying to provide honest and worthwhile feedback? Just wondering if the companies paying for these survey results are getting their money's worth. And, of course, some of these are companies we probably own in one or more of our index funds or similar.

rjbraun wrote:Wow, 10k or more miles annually. Sounds like a lot of surveys to complete.

I stopped taking the longer surveys a while back, and can get through the "20 minute" surveys in less than 10 minutes, in most cases. It's definitely not for everyone, but if I've got some time to spare, it's essentially free miles to me.

How diligent were you about trying to provide honest and worthwhile feedback? Just wondering if the companies paying for these survey results are getting their money's worth. And, of course, some of these are companies we probably own in one or more of our index funds or similar.

A lot of times there are control questions to prevent you from just going through and selecting arbitrary answers to each question. From what I remember if you get those questions wrong you won't be able to finish the survey and get the miles.

rjbraun wrote:Wow, 10k or more miles annually. Sounds like a lot of surveys to complete.

I stopped taking the longer surveys a while back, and can get through the "20 minute" surveys in less than 10 minutes, in most cases. It's definitely not for everyone, but if I've got some time to spare, it's essentially free miles to me.

How diligent were you about trying to provide honest and worthwhile feedback? Just wondering if the companies paying for these survey results are getting their money's worth. And, of course, some of these are companies we probably own in one or more of our index funds or similar.

I answer everything honestly. I read fast, and given that 99% of the surveys are simply selecting an option, it doesn't take much time getting through them. And as has been mentioned, there are generally a few 'keep you honest' questions where you have to select what they specify to continue.

rjbraun wrote:Wow, 10k or more miles annually. Sounds like a lot of surveys to complete.

I stopped taking the longer surveys a while back, and can get through the "20 minute" surveys in less than 10 minutes, in most cases. It's definitely not for everyone, but if I've got some time to spare, it's essentially free miles to me.

How diligent were you about trying to provide honest and worthwhile feedback? Just wondering if the companies paying for these survey results are getting their money's worth. And, of course, some of these are companies we probably own in one or more of our index funds or similar.

I answer everything honestly. I read fast, and given that 99% of the surveys are simply selecting an option, it doesn't take much time getting through them. And as has been mentioned, there are generally a few 'keep you honest' questions where you have to select what they specify to continue.

rjbraun wrote:Wow, 10k or more miles annually. Sounds like a lot of surveys to complete.

I stopped taking the longer surveys a while back, and can get through the "20 minute" surveys in less than 10 minutes, in most cases. It's definitely not for everyone, but if I've got some time to spare, it's essentially free miles to me.

How diligent were you about trying to provide honest and worthwhile feedback? Just wondering if the companies paying for these survey results are getting their money's worth. And, of course, some of these are companies we probably own in one or more of our index funds or similar.

I answer everything honestly. I read fast, and given that 99% of the surveys are simply selecting an option, it doesn't take much time getting through them. And as has been mentioned, there are generally a few 'keep you honest' questions where you have to select what they specify to continue.

How many miles do you get per survey?

E-Rewards credits your account with "cash", which can be redeemed for a hinge of different things - miles, gift cards, etc. Most of the surveys range from $1 to $10, and AA's minimum redemption rates on ER are $25 and $50. You also earn partial credit if you start a survey and aren't in the demographic that they're looking for.

Maximum number of cards: No maximum, limit based on amount of credit extended to you

Applications at one time: 1 application every 8 days

Sign-up bonus limit: One bonus per family of products every 24 months

FYI you can apply for one personal and one business Alaska card at the same time as well. If you're under 5/24 it's possible to get two, maybe even three cards with Chase within a month. The Citi rule is correct, although sometimes offers pop up without the 24 month language. In December there was an AA 50k offer without that language. My wife and I were each approved for one, and then we each got a second two days later. We had both already had these cards within the last years. We also had them match each one to a targeted 60k offer, so we ended up with 240,000 AA miles off of those cards. The miles did actually post to our AA accounts. There have also been Hilton offers without the 24 month language. Typically these are just an oversight and don't last long.

Drew777 wrote:FYI you can apply for one personal and one business Alaska card at the same time as well. If you're under 5/24 it's possible to get two, maybe even three cards with Chase within a month. The Citi rule is correct, although sometimes offers pop up without the 24 month language. In December there was an AA 50k offer without that language. My wife and I were each approved for one, and then we each got a second two days later. We had both already had these cards within the last years. We also had them match each one to a targeted 60k offer, so we ended up with 240,000 AA miles off of those cards. The miles did actually post to our AA accounts. There have also been Hilton offers without the 24 month language. Typically these are just an oversight and don't last long.

The online links that lack the 24-month verbiage have been nice, though I have personally had success using targeted mailers addressed to somebody else in my household. 8 Citi AA cards later (since late 2015), and no signs of this gravy train ending.

Drew777 wrote:FYI you can apply for one personal and one business Alaska card at the same time as well. If you're under 5/24 it's possible to get two, maybe even three cards with Chase within a month. The Citi rule is correct, although sometimes offers pop up without the 24 month language. In December there was an AA 50k offer without that language. My wife and I were each approved for one, and then we each got a second two days later. We had both already had these cards within the last years. We also had them match each one to a targeted 60k offer, so we ended up with 240,000 AA miles off of those cards. The miles did actually post to our AA accounts. There have also been Hilton offers without the 24 month language. Typically these are just an oversight and don't last long.

The online links that lack the 24-month verbiage have been nice, though I have personally had success using targeted mailers addressed to somebody else in my household. 8 Citi AA cards later (since late 2015), and no signs of this gravy train ending.

How recently has that worked? Citi's new rule is fairly recent. It's no longer 24 months to get the bonus for that card again, it's now 24 months before you can get any bonus in that brand again. So only one AA bonus per 24 months, only one TYP bonus, etc.

Drew777 wrote:FYI you can apply for one personal and one business Alaska card at the same time as well. If you're under 5/24 it's possible to get two, maybe even three cards with Chase within a month. The Citi rule is correct, although sometimes offers pop up without the 24 month language. In December there was an AA 50k offer without that language. My wife and I were each approved for one, and then we each got a second two days later. We had both already had these cards within the last years. We also had them match each one to a targeted 60k offer, so we ended up with 240,000 AA miles off of those cards. The miles did actually post to our AA accounts. There have also been Hilton offers without the 24 month language. Typically these are just an oversight and don't last long.

The online links that lack the 24-month verbiage have been nice, though I have personally had success using targeted mailers addressed to somebody else in my household. 8 Citi AA cards later (since late 2015), and no signs of this gravy train ending.

How recently has that worked? Citi's new rule is fairly recent. It's no longer 24 months to get the bonus for that card again, it's now 24 months before you can get any bonus in that brand again. So only one AA bonus per 24 months, only one TYP bonus, etc.

I only churn the Citi Platinum AA cards, but my last two cards were all opened after the 24-month language change was announced (while I had other Citi AA cards, all opened within the last 24-months). One was a targeted mailer addressed to somebody else in my household, and the last one [in mid-January] was from the second to most recent Reddit link (before it was closed and was replaced by yet another new link that works).

Frequent Miler has posted new AMEX SPG specials: 25k/35k bonus on SPG Personal and Business cards. I am thinking of applying for the business card.
- Can someone confirm that it would not count towards Chase 24/5?
- Can someone confirm that AMEX SPG cards earn double points in Marriott hotels?

Thanks!
Victoria

WINNER of the 2015 Boglehead Contest. |
Every joke has a bit of a joke. ... The rest is the truth. (Marat F)

I got an offer for the Citi AA for 60k bonus miles. I just checked my credit report and I only have 3 new accounts in the last 24 mo. However, I had a Citi AA until May 2015. Does that affect my approval if everything else is good?

michaeljc70 wrote:I got an offer for the Citi AA for 60k bonus miles. I just checked my credit report and I only have 3 new accounts in the last 24 mo. However, I had a Citi AA until May 2015. Does that affect my approval if everything else is good?

I think you are okay but I would go for the Chase Ink business recent bonus for 80k first. I wouldn't use up the 5 allowed within 24 on other cards before Chase.

VictoriaF wrote:Frequent Miler has posted new AMEX SPG specials: 25k/35k bonus on SPG Personal and Business cards. I am thinking of applying for the business card.
- Can someone confirm that it would not count towards Chase 24/5?
- Can someone confirm that AMEX SPG cards earn double points in Marriott hotels?

Thanks!
Victoria

Wow, 35k on the business is great! I am applying for this card next as well while I wait to see if I can get the CSR.

michaeljc70 wrote:I got an offer for the Citi AA for 60k bonus miles. I just checked my credit report and I only have 3 new accounts in the last 24 mo. However, I had a Citi AA until May 2015. Does that affect my approval if everything else is good?

I think you are okay but I would go for the Chase Ink business recent bonus for 80k first. I wouldn't use up the 5 allowed within 24 on other cards before Chase.

I believe I applied for that once and was declined because I don't have a business. It is also stated the card is to be used only for business expenses.

Last edited by michaeljc70 on Thu Feb 16, 2017 11:23 am, edited 1 time in total.

michaeljc70 wrote:I got an offer for the Citi AA for 60k bonus miles. I just checked my credit report and I only have 3 new accounts in the last 24 mo. However, I had a Citi AA until May 2015. Does that affect my approval if everything else is good?

Verify that the following language does not appear on the offer or in the terms first, otherwise you are ineligible for a new Citi AA card: "American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles are not available if you have had any Citi / AAdvantage® card (other than a CitiBusiness / AAdvantage® card) opened or closed in the past 24 months." Do the same on the application page itself. If that verbiage is not present, you should be okay to apply and receive the bonus.

michaeljc70 wrote:I got an offer for the Citi AA for 60k bonus miles. I just checked my credit report and I only have 3 new accounts in the last 24 mo. However, I had a Citi AA until May 2015. Does that affect my approval if everything else is good?

I think you are okay but I would go for the Chase Ink business recent bonus for 80k first. I wouldn't use up the 5 allowed within 24 on other cards before Chase.

I can't get Chase Ink because I am within 24/5 constraints. If an AMEX Business card does not count towards Chase's 24/5, there is little risk in applying for it. But I'd like to confirm this.

Victoria

WINNER of the 2015 Boglehead Contest. |
Every joke has a bit of a joke. ... The rest is the truth. (Marat F)

Maximum number of cards: No maximum, limit based on amount of credit extended to you

Applications at one time: 1 application every 8 days

Sign-up bonus limit: One bonus per family of products every 24 months

FYI you can apply for one personal and one business Alaska card at the same time as well. If you're under 5/24 it's possible to get two, maybe even three cards with Chase within a month. The Citi rule is correct, although sometimes offers pop up without the 24 month language. In December there was an AA 50k offer without that language. My wife and I were each approved for one, and then we each got a second two days later. We had both already had these cards within the last years. We also had them match each one to a targeted 60k offer, so we ended up with 240,000 AA miles off of those cards. The miles did actually post to our AA accounts. There have also been Hilton offers without the 24 month language. Typically these are just an oversight and don't last long.

Is it too late to ask to match to a targeted 60k offer if the miles already posted? Was it a targeted offer you received or can it be an online offer you heard of? I never noticed that the offers had the language versus not. I thought the rules always applied. I once had a Delta card that didn't have the language but I wasn't given the reward after doing the spend because they cited the rule even though it wasn't in the offer language. That became a "never again" card, even before amex went never again.

michaeljc70 wrote:I got an offer for the Citi AA for 60k bonus miles. I just checked my credit report and I only have 3 new accounts in the last 24 mo. However, I had a Citi AA until May 2015. Does that affect my approval if everything else is good?

I think you are okay but I would go for the Chase Ink business recent bonus for 80k first. I wouldn't use up the 5 allowed within 24 on other cards before Chase.

I can't get Chase Ink because I am within 24/5 constraints. If an AMEX Business card does not count towards Chase's 24/5, there is little risk in applying for it. But I'd like to confirm this.

Victoria

Everything I have read is that business cards don't count in the 5/24 rule. I think you are 95% safe to do this.

michaeljc70 wrote:I got an offer for the Citi AA for 60k bonus miles. I just checked my credit report and I only have 3 new accounts in the last 24 mo. However, I had a Citi AA until May 2015. Does that affect my approval if everything else is good?

Verify that the following language does not appear on the offer or in the terms first, otherwise you are ineligible for a new Citi AA card: "American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles are not available if you have had any Citi / AAdvantage® card (other than a CitiBusiness / AAdvantage® card) opened or closed in the past 24 months." Do the same on the application page itself. If that verbiage is not present, you should be okay to apply and receive the bonus.

I didn't see that on the invite or webpage. I was instantly approved. Happy as often 50k is the most you can get with this card.

My spouse is not citizen but legal resident. They have had 1 Chase Freedom Visa (on their own) for around a year and have no other credit history. Does anyone know if they would be eligible for any kind of card with a bonus (the Chase had a bonus of $100 or $150)? They don't want to apply and have inquiries only to be declined. On the one hand I think they should go for easier to get cards and build their credit history but on the other hand it sucks to miss out on the bonus rewards.

Maximum number of cards: No maximum, limit based on amount of credit extended to you

Applications at one time: 1 application every 8 days

Sign-up bonus limit: One bonus per family of products every 24 months

FYI you can apply for one personal and one business Alaska card at the same time as well. If you're under 5/24 it's possible to get two, maybe even three cards with Chase within a month. The Citi rule is correct, although sometimes offers pop up without the 24 month language. In December there was an AA 50k offer without that language. My wife and I were each approved for one, and then we each got a second two days later. We had both already had these cards within the last years. We also had them match each one to a targeted 60k offer, so we ended up with 240,000 AA miles off of those cards. The miles did actually post to our AA accounts. There have also been Hilton offers without the 24 month language. Typically these are just an oversight and don't last long.

Is it too late to ask to match to a targeted 60k offer if the miles already posted? Was it a targeted offer you received or can it be an online offer you heard of? I never noticed that the offers had the language versus not. I thought the rules always applied. I once had a Delta card that didn't have the language but I wasn't given the reward after doing the spend because they cited the rule even though it wasn't in the offer language. That became a "never again" card, even before amex went never again.

Great to know about the Alaska card!

I'm not sure exactly what the timeframe is, I was just send a message online and say you saw a 60k offer and would like to be matched to the higher offer. They will just give you 10k miles as a courtesy separate from the 50k offer. You don't have to give any specifics about the offer, they don't ask questions. I actually have heard multiple recent reports of the same thing happening with Amex, and people have actually received the bonuses despite having the card before. I know some people have had success filing CFPB complaints when they were denied a bonus they were technically eligible for according to the terms.

michaeljc70 wrote:I got an offer for the Citi AA for 60k bonus miles. I just checked my credit report and I only have 3 new accounts in the last 24 mo. However, I had a Citi AA until May 2015. Does that affect my approval if everything else is good?

Verify that the following language does not appear on the offer or in the terms first, otherwise you are ineligible for a new Citi AA card: "American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles are not available if you have had any Citi / AAdvantage® card (other than a CitiBusiness / AAdvantage® card) opened or closed in the past 24 months." Do the same on the application page itself. If that verbiage is not present, you should be okay to apply and receive the bonus.

I didn't see that on the invite or webpage. I was instantly approved. Happy as often 50k is the most you can get with this card.

You can get an extra 10k if you send them a secure message saying you saw a 60k offer and would like to be matched. No need to give specifics, they'll just do it no questions asked.

michaeljc70 wrote:I got an offer for the Citi AA for 60k bonus miles. I just checked my credit report and I only have 3 new accounts in the last 24 mo. However, I had a Citi AA until May 2015. Does that affect my approval if everything else is good?

Verify that the following language does not appear on the offer or in the terms first, otherwise you are ineligible for a new Citi AA card: "American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles are not available if you have had any Citi / AAdvantage® card (other than a CitiBusiness / AAdvantage® card) opened or closed in the past 24 months." Do the same on the application page itself. If that verbiage is not present, you should be okay to apply and receive the bonus.

I didn't see that on the invite or webpage. I was instantly approved. Happy as often 50k is the most you can get with this card.

You can get an extra 10k if you send them a secure message saying you saw a 60k offer and would like to be matched. No need to give specifics, they'll just do it no questions asked.

On one of the blog I saw a comment by a guy who asked for an extra 10k. The Citi CSR checked his account, saw that the guy had had this bonus recently and canceled it all together.

Victoria

WINNER of the 2015 Boglehead Contest. |
Every joke has a bit of a joke. ... The rest is the truth. (Marat F)

Maximum number of cards: No maximum, limit based on amount of credit extended to you

Applications at one time: 1 application every 8 days

Sign-up bonus limit: One bonus per family of products every 24 months

FYI you can apply for one personal and one business Alaska card at the same time as well. If you're under 5/24 it's possible to get two, maybe even three cards with Chase within a month. The Citi rule is correct, although sometimes offers pop up without the 24 month language. In December there was an AA 50k offer without that language. My wife and I were each approved for one, and then we each got a second two days later. We had both already had these cards within the last years. We also had them match each one to a targeted 60k offer, so we ended up with 240,000 AA miles off of those cards. The miles did actually post to our AA accounts. There have also been Hilton offers without the 24 month language. Typically these are just an oversight and don't last long.

Is it too late to ask to match to a targeted 60k offer if the miles already posted? Was it a targeted offer you received or can it be an online offer you heard of? I never noticed that the offers had the language versus not. I thought the rules always applied. I once had a Delta card that didn't have the language but I wasn't given the reward after doing the spend because they cited the rule even though it wasn't in the offer language. That became a "never again" card, even before amex went never again.

Great to know about the Alaska card!

I'm not sure exactly what the timeframe is, I was just send a message online and say you saw a 60k offer and would like to be matched to the higher offer. They will just give you 10k miles as a courtesy separate from the 50k offer. You don't have to give any specifics about the offer, they don't ask questions. I actually have heard multiple recent reports of the same thing happening with Amex, and people have actually received the bonuses despite having the card before. I know some people have had success filing CFPB complaints when they were denied a bonus they were technically eligible for according to the terms.

Thanks Drew! I have had good luck in the past with cards matching a higher offer (IHG comes to mind) but was turned down on such an offer this week from amex for the everyday card. I opened an everyday card to keep my MR points since I was going to close the gold acct with AF of $195. The offer was 10k points when I offered but I later saw one for 15k, a much better offer very soon after I got the card. I was surprised they turned me down for the reward upgrade.